English 102

University of Idaho

Dept. of English
University of Idaho
P.O. Box 441102
Moscow, ID 83844-1102

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Before 1997, English 102 was called English 104.  This course was renumbered to match the equivalent courses at Lewis-Clark State College, Boise State Univ., and Idaho State Univ.   English 104 is equivalent to the current English 102.

English 104 used to be graded P/N/F.  A grade of P in English 104 or English 103 is equivalent to at least a C in an A-F grading system.

This course satisfies Requirement J-3-a of the Core Curriculum:

"J-3-a. Communication (5-7 cr). The purpose of this requirement is to develop the ability to organize one's thoughts, to express them simply and clearly, to observe the standards and conventions of language usage, and to suit tone to audience. The requirement is proficiency in written English equal to that needed for the completion of UI course Engl 102 and the completion of one additional course in this category."

Here is the official catalog description of this course: 

"Engl 102 College Writing and Rhetoric (3 cr). Applied principles of expository and argumentative essay writing, including summaries, critiques, and syntheses of texts, and the research essay; emphasis on clear, concise, and vigorous prose. Graded A/B/C/N (repeat)/F. Prereq: Engl 101 or equiv."

Students who score above from 570-690 on the SAT, 25-30 on the ACT, or 95-99 on the Writing Skills Placement Test of COMPASS must take English 102 (but they also receive three credits for English 101).  Students who score from 700-800 on the SAT or 31-36 on the ACT are exempt from this course requirement (they receive six credits for English 101 and 102).  See this link for further information on placement in English 102.  Click here for information on challenging English 102.

Course Goals: English 102 is an introductory composition course, designed to improve your skills in persuasive, expository writing, the sort you will be doing in other courses in college and in many jobs. Sometimes this kind of writing is called transactional writing; it is used to transact something—persuade and inform a reasonably well-educated audience, conduct business, evaluate, review, or explain a complex process, procedure, or event.

By the end of the course, students should have attained the following goals::

  1. Comprehend college-level and professional prose and to analyze how authors present their ideas in view of their probable purposes, audiences, and occasions.
  2. Present their ideas as related to, but clearly distinguished from, the ideas of others (includes the ability to paraphrase, summarize, and correctly cite and document borrowed material).
  3. Develop a central idea or argument logically, supporting and illustrating it clearly.
  4. Write critical analyses and syntheses of college-level and professional prose.
  5. Gather and evaluate information and use it for a rhetorical purpose in writing a research paper.
  6. Use a variety of strategies during the prewriting process.
  7. Revise effectively.
  8. Proofread accurately in order to produce writing that maintains the conventions of publishing English.
  9. Give and receive constructive feedback from peers.

Requirements for English 102: There are generally six major writing assignments (WAs). They are described below.

WA 1:

Personal Writing. Length:  at least well on to the fourth page (900 - 1100 words), worth 10-15 % of final grade.  Usually this is built around one of the following:

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Remembering Events.

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Remember People.

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Writing Profiles.

WA 2:

Developing an Argument. Length: on to the fourth page (900 - 1,200 words), worth 10% of final grade. All assignments incorporate a specific outside source. This assignment also requires the skills of source handling .

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Arguing a Position.

WA 3:

Another Assignment of Closed Writing (choose one): Proposing a Solution,  Evaluating, or Causal Analysis. Length:  4-5 pages (1,000 - 1,250 words).  All assignments should incorporate outside sources. One of the following:

bulletProposing a Solution.
bulletJustifying an Explanation. OR
bulletSpeculating About Causes.

WA 4:

Research Essay.  7-10 pages, worth 25% of final grade.  Students are encouraged to structure the research essay around one of the rhetorical forms described in Chapter 6-9. The essay must have more than an informative function: it must be either an extended argument or an analysis.

WA 5:

Final assignment: Writing about Literature or another personal writing assignment. 3-4 pages, worth 10% to 15% of final grade.

bulletPersonal Experience Paper, worth 10% of final grade. 
bulletInterpreting Stories.(writing about literature).

All students taking English 102 must abide by the writing program's policy on plagiarism and the attendance policy.
 

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